


It Could Be Worse

by NataliaWhite92



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Character Study, F/F, Fluff and Crack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-18 14:01:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18251291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NataliaWhite92/pseuds/NataliaWhite92
Summary: When everything is going to hell, jokes make things better





	It Could Be Worse

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like we all need a little more Alex Danvers in our lives because she really is one of the best characters ever.

Alex was fifteen when her life changed for the first time. Before Kara came she had been a part of a normal family, if not a highly intelligent one. Her mom and dad worked in medical research and she could remember from the time she was old enough to realize what a job was her fate had been set to follow in their footsteps. 

She would always look at time divided into two distinct categories: before Kara and after Kara. Maybe that wasn’t fair but neither were a lot of things when it came to her new “sister.” 

“It could be worse,” her dad said to her gently after finding her hiding out on the stretch of beach she ran every morning. 

“No dad, don’t do that. You always do that.” 

“Alex,” his tone wasn’t harsh but she couldn’t ignore the barely concealed warning. 

He wasn’t looking at her, and she appreciated him pretending to look out at the ocean and ignoring the tear tracks she had hastily tried to wipe away. 

“Come on Alex.” He didn’t move, but he hadn’t been talking about physically changing, but instead changing perspective. This wasn’t the first, or even the twentieth time he had said these exact words to her. It had become a game for them as she grew up. Each trying to outdo the other in the alternatives that were in fact worse than whatever had been going on in the moment. 

“I don’t want to play. I don’t want to sit here and list the things that could be worse than her invading my life. She comes from who knows where and you guys just welcome her into the family like we weren’t enough before. She’s ruining everything!”

This time when he says her name it holds the harshness that he was measuring before. 

“Alex,” he reached his hand out toward her and after it being rebuffed still kept it palm up and the invitation open, “I know that this is difficult for you. It’s difficult for your mother and I as well. But you know that while we would never tell you your feelings are wrong, I will tell you right now how you are expressing them is not alright in my household.” 

Alex sits in silence, knowing that isn’t the last thing he has to say on the matter. 

“Kara is special Alex. Not because she is an alien, but because she is someone who has lost everything and arrived in a new place where she knows no one. She is trying and I need you to try too. You may not feel like it now but she is your sister from this day forward and I expect you to be kind to her. You don’t have to love her right now, but you do have to help her. She has no one else.” 

“Why couldn’t her cousin take her? He dropped her off here like it’s the right thing to do but he hasn’t even come back to see her.” 

“I know. I also know how hurtful that must be to her. She was left with us because he isn’t ready to be there for her. He wanted her to have a family like he did while he was growing up. And I think, personally, ours is a pretty good one.” 

She feels his hand inch toward hers and this time chooses to hold onto it. The comfort that she had been avoiding so much at his words enveloped her and she tried to release the anger.

“She’s just so weird dad. She doesn’t know anything, and she is constantly asking me the weirdest questions and not letting me study or sleep. She freaks out all the time. She keeps breaking everything and I just don’t know what to do.” 

“Alexandra Danvers. You are a scientist. You know that the only way to learn things is by experimenting, trying, failing, and then trying again. When she asks you questions just answer them as best you can. Send her to your mom and I if you don’t have an answer. I know that everything has changed, and is still changing, but I also know that you are my brilliant and wonderful daughter. Your heart is so big, it was just waiting to be shared with someone else. Be patient with her bug. She will get better, but maybe it would be quicker if you helped. Set boundaries, remind her about them. Just do your best.” 

He squeezed her hand once more before he got up and turned back toward the house. 

“Dad.” 

“Yeah bug?”

“It could be worse.” 

“How so?”

“She could have a twin.” 

His laughter stayed with her until she was ready to go back. She made a deal with herself that day. As long as Kara tried she would too. She still wasn’t happy that Kara had been left in her home but she tried to remind herself when she got mad that Kara had lost her whole world. She tried to remember how scared she was sometimes when she felt alone. She tried to remind herself that it could be worse. 

Having an alien for a sister and scientists for parents was the beginning of a bad sci fi movie plot. The fact that Alex was smarter than most kids her age also didn’t help. But the coup de grace was her father practically giving her the go ahead to treat Kara like one big science fair. 

“Alex, I don’t think Jeremiah and Eliza would like this.” 

“First off, they aren’t here. Second, dad would totally be fine with this.” 

“But what about Eliza. She said to be good.” 

“She also said that I was in charge, and I say we test your powers.” 

“Alex…”

Alex blew the breath out of her mouth before she said something she would regret. Really she couldn’t be blamed for getting frustrated when Kara was such a brown noser sometimes. She knew that she didn’t mean to be, she also knew that she didn’t even know what the term meant and mentally added “teach Kara slang” to her ever growing list of ways to make Kara more normal. 

“Kara, you want to be like sisters yeah?”

The blonde enthusiastically nodded so hard that her head became a blur. Alex felt a little bad for the coercion she was enacting on the Kryptonian but not enough to blow past this opportunity. 

“You want to be normal right? You can’t pretend to be normal until we figure out what you shouldn’t do. If we test your powers you will be able to get a better hold on your strength and that blast vision thing you do.” 

Kara’s face contorted in confusion, making the crinkle between her eyes so prominent Alex wanted to poke it. 

“But Jeremiah said I wasn’t supposed to use them because someone might find out about what I am.” 

“You don’t need to whisper Kara. No one can hear you in the house. I know what dad said but he would appreciate us doing it this way. He’s the one who made you the glasses to dull sound and stuff right? It’s the same thing, but now you won’t be breaking all my shit all the time.” 

She tried to smile through the grimace as she looked at the bookshelf that Kara had accidentally bumped into earlier, causing it to fall apart and scatter books everywhere. Alex had been mad when she opened the door and saw the hole from the doorknob slamming into the wall and the giant mess of her things, again. She had spun around to Kara’s side of the room to yell at her but had found the girl hiding under the bed with her hands over her ears, crying and rocking herself. 

When she had coaxed Kara from her hiding place and gotten her to explain why she was so upset it was only the super speed of the alien that had stopped Alex from going after the kids who called Kara a freak, an orphan, a loser. Alex felt guilt churn in her stomach as she had to explain what these terms meant and watched Kara start crying again. This had lead to the current plan of measuring Kara’s powers so she could learn to control them. 

She really wasn’t too worried about getting in trouble, a little but enough to ignore. Her parents really were away at a conference for some kind of boring discovery that Alex knew was below them. But they had been encouraged by their boss to put in time with people from their community. So off to the nerd convention they went. Leaving Alex in charge after a lengthy talk about responsibilities of being the older sister, she still didn’t call herself that and wished they would stop trying to force it, and how the money they had left should be spent on food because of Kara’s metabolism and not a new leather jacket that Alex wanted. They had even hinted at maybe getting it for her when they returned. Even though it was a blatant bribe it was enough for Alex to resist spending some of the giant food allowance. 

Kara returned her smile with a much more authentic looking one. She stood up from the bed, taking a deep breath and looking off into space for a second before declaring that the closest person to them right now was twelve miles down the beach and walking in the opposite direction of their house. 

Alex took this as confirmation that she would not be fought any further on this and pulled out a fresh notebook to start writing ideas for how they should go about testing Kara’s powers. They worked together that night, around the many food breaks that Kara needed and by the time they sat down for dinner (Kara’s fifth, Alex’s first) and watched an educational movie they had a plan for the next day. After Kara stopped the movie to explain to Alex all the inaccuracies present for the ninth time she shut it off and announced it was time for bed. They had a big day tomorrow after all. Alex made her one more pizza for a snack and then they laid down. 

The quiet lasted less than a half an hour before Alex sat up and turned on the lamp by her bed. 

“Kara, you have to stop moving around so much. Every time you do the bed frame creaks and I can’t sleep.” 

Kara went perfectly still but her eyes were still roaming the room, landing on Alex time and time again. 

“Just ask.” 

“If I learn to control my powers do you think you’ll like me more?”

Alex felt herself go soft as her frustration left her. She didn’t need to look at Kara to know that she was pouting, not in the get what she wants type but the real hurting and trying to hide it way. 

“I’m trying to like you. It’s not like I don’t. It’s just a lot to try to adjust to.” 

“I know. I’m sorry I landed here and made you angry at me. I wonder sometimes if it would have been better for me to stay on Krypton with my parents. We would all be in Rao’s light together and you would have your life back.” 

Kara’s voice broke when she mentioned her god. She had talked to Jeremiah and Eliza about Kypton a little, after she had learned English, but she didn’t bring it up often. She had never tried to talk to Alex about it. Instead Alex learned everything from hiding on the staircase where her parent’s couldn’t see her but she knew Kara could hear her. 

She finally looked at the girl, the small broken girl who she realized she had gotten used to sharing a room with, and her heart broke open a little. She was angry at how she had reacted when Kara first got here, putting her own selfishness above the comfort of this person who had nothing. She also knew that she needed to be angry and brash because if she had held it in it would have been way worse when it exploded. Alex had always had a temper, her mom would be the first to tell you that, but she knew what her dad said on the beach those months ago was right. She couldn’t control her feelings but she could control how she was expressing them.

“Get up, we’re going upstairs.” 

“I’m sorry. I promise I won’t move anymore. I don’t want to be alone in the attic.” 

Alex walked carefully over to Kara, feeling her eyes track her every step. She reached out her hand and held it, waiting. Kara looked at her hand and back up at Alex, hesitation written all over her face. 

“It’s okay, just remember to be gentle. Like when you pet that stray cat ya know? Just try to hold my hand carefully like that.” 

“Streaky.” 

“What?”

“The cat’s name is Streaky.” 

Alex rolled her eyes but smiled. “You can’t name a stray Kara, it’s not ours.” 

“But he doesn’t have a collar and he’s so smart. He knows his name Alex. Whenever I call him he comes over to me.”

“He comes because you have food you dork. Now come on. I’m not going to leave you in the attic. Even if I did it’s not like you couldn’t get out of any room anyways.” 

Kara slowly moved her hand until it was hovering above Alex’s. Alex moved the last inch until she was holding it. Kara’s skin was so much warmer than hers, and she could feel how carefully she was not moving. 

“Good job. Now just don’t squeeze it okay? A broken bookshelf I can forgive but I would be really annoyed if you broke my hand.” 

Kara blushed guiltily as her eyes found the debris of splintered boards still on the floor but pushed into the corner. 

“It’s fine Kara. That’s why we are going to do the tests tomorrow. Now come on.” 

Alex took her up to the window in the attic that opened out onto the roof of their house. She held on tighter to Kara as they walked down the steepest slope and came to the leveled area above the porch. When she sat down Kara soon followed suit. They looked up at the stars together, sitting close enough for their hands to still be in each other’s. 

“I’m glad you didn’t die on Krypton Kara. And I’m sorry I was so mean to you. It wasn’t okay for me to do that. It’s never okay for people to be mean to you just because they are upset.” 

“You’re not mean to me now.” 

“I kind of am though. You’re too nice, and I don’t want people to take advantage of that. Including myself. You have to stand up for yourself Kara. It’s okay to not always be happy. No one is like that all the time. I mean that would just be not human.” She smirks at Kara’s beginning protests that stop when she looks at Alex. 

“That was a joke. Because I’m not human.”

“Yes you dork. It was a joke. You should laugh when someone makes a joke.” 

“What if it’s not funny?”

“Hey,” Alex stops when she sees Kara giving her a kind of smirk. She laughs and when she hears Kara laughing as well it leaves the smile on her face as they both turn back toward the sky. 

“You can tell me about it you know. Your world, the people, whatever you want.”

“I don’t know if I can.” 

“You don’t have to. It’s okay to keep things to yourself.”

“Okay.” 

“It could be worse.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s something my dad always does when I’m sad, or mad, or just not wanting to be cooperative I guess. He always says it could be worse and then we come up with things that are worse.” 

“Like what?”

“Like… you could have landed on a planet with no pizza for one.” 

“That’s horrible Alex!” 

“See?”

“I see. Thanks Alex.” 

She doesn’t respond, just squeezes Kara’s hand once more and lets herself get distracted by the stars. 

They get in trouble for testing Kara’s powers. Though she gets in way more which is categorically unfair. Kara stands up for her though, tells Jeremiah and Eliza that Alex was trying to help her and her parents cool off a bit. They still reiterate what it means to keep Kara safe, to be a big sister, to be in charge, but Alex doesn’t find herself chafing like she would have even a couple days ago at the title. Maybe it’s Kara taking her side, maybe it’s the memories of Kara laughing while she crushed boulders into dust, maybe it’s just Alex growing up. Whatever it is, she can get used to being the big sister, as long as she gets that jacket. 

While things never really get normal, they figure out a way to exist with each other. Alex stops resenting Kara, and Kara starts to figure out what it means to be on Earth. High school was a special kind of hell for them both, mostly because Kara is too damn nice all the time and how does she not realize that someone is flirting with her? Alex realizes that upon accepting the mantle of big sister she now doesn’t know how to turn it off. Her life becomes one of looking around every corner, keeping people in line who try to mess with Kara, explaining mating rituals on Earth to Kara around both of their blushes, and trying to just be there for this literal ball of sunshine. She loves her, she really does, but she’s exhausted sometimes just trying to protect her. 

When she almost flunks out of med school her senior year at university she doesn’t know how to tell her mom. She’s saved the embarrassment of that admission when Director J’onzz recruits her for some black ops government unit. When she realizes exactly what kind of unit she is considering joining she balks. They finally found her, they are coming after Kara, she has to warn her. As she’s mentally preparing to try to take down this giant of a man who looks like he could break her with his little finger he raises one eyebrow and tells her they need to talk. 

She’s glad, looking back, she didn’t try to disarm J’onn and run away. He kicks her ass up and down the training room in the next few months. When she learns about his ability to read minds she yells about misuse of training drills until he can’t hide the tiny smile on his face. He also drops her in a second flat to dispel any current ideas of retribution she may have. 

Working at the DEO becomes another way for her to protect Kara but it’s more than that. It’s a way for her to figure out herself as well. She has been so many things for so long that she has to shed them one by one to discover who she is underneath. She’s been Kara’s sister, and watchdog. That’s a layer that she will put back on eventually but for now it hits the ground. She’s been the daughter of two scientists who only ever considered a career in the medical field. That layer she leaves behind partially because while she is still a scientist she knows this is a better fit for her. She’s been the lonely heterosexual who figured relationships weren’t her thing because they never felt right. That layer she happily cast aside when she met Maggie and actually allowed herself to confront the feelings she had always had for women. 

The person who stepped forward after she had dove deep into herself was stronger than all the iterations that had come before. She was more sure of herself and she was proud of what she was doing. She loved working at the DEO, she knew the work she was doing was important, and most vitally she knew that she was chosen for more than just being the adopted sister of an alien. 

When Kara joined her after saving the plane she didn’t resist it. A) it would have been futile and B) she was excited to show her sister who she had become. Kara working with them was not always the easiest ride, especially with the whole kryptonite fiasco that Superman eventually took care of. But having her sister by her side everyday was like completing a puzzle for Alex. It just fit. 

Plus getting to boss her around and Kara actually having to listen to her because it was a genuine order was very fun for the red head. 

“Supergirl what’s the situation?”

“I’m a little busy Agent Danvers, can’t you just turn on the tv or something?”

“I need a sitrep before I know what backup to send in Supergirl.” 

“I can literally hear you smiling right now. Okay fine, we have a giant squishy looking alien who punches like a reinforced wall, and two friends who look way too excited to join the fight.” 

“Affirmative.” 

“Alex!” 

“Alpha squad is already on their way Supergirl. Should be there any moment.” 

“I’m telling mom.” 

“Don’t you dare Kara or I’ll tell her you’re dating Lena Luthor!”

“What??? No I’m not.” 

“I can’t even see you but I can feel the blush all the way from here. Cat’s out of the bag kid, might as well embrace it.” 

“It could be worse.” 

“We’ll see about that. You know how mom feels about that family.” 

“I could be dating Lex.” 

Alex laughed in the most undignified way that would have her embarrassed if she had not been alone in command central at the moment. 

“Guys, you know this line isn’t secure right?” Winn broke in as Kara’s huffs of indignation mixed with Alex’s laughter. 

“Winn, get off this line. This is supposed to be for emergencies only and you do not have clearance to access it!” Alex tries her best to sound in charge again but can hear the humor still in her voice. 

“Yeah Winn! I’ll have Lena hack you and share those pictures of you at Comic con when you were dressed up as…”

“Kara you promised to never mention that again! It’s not like you weren’t dressed up too!” 

“That’s something you neglected to mention Darling. I might just have to peruse Mr. Scott’s computer to see this for myself.” 

The husky voice of one Lena Luthor was wrapping around what sounded like a smile though Alex wasn’t sure she had ever seen that on the perfectly stoic face before. Well except on Kara’s phone, but no one but J’onn knew she had slipped into that last week (really Kara using your girlfriend’s name as a password was very junior high) and seen the evidence of their dates that had confirmed what everyone already knew anyways.

“Lena! You can’t be on here! This is strictly DEO business! Shouldn’t you be on a conference call with Taiwan anyways??” 

Alex rolled her eyes so hard they almost hurt as the squeak of her sister’s voice responded to the interruption. 

“I missed you love. Hurry up with that gargantuan so I can help rub out your sore spots.” 

“LENA!” 

“By the time I reach the fight location there better not be anyone on this line besides Agent Danvers and Supergirl.” J’onn’s voice all but barks into the com. While the actual sound of click offs can’t be heard, it suddenly gets a lot quieter in the sibling’s ears. 

“Thank you. Focus Kara, I’ll be there in under a minute.” 

“Thanks J’onn.” Kara’s voice is still a little squeaky around the edges but it’s almost back to normal. 

Alex can’t help smiling at the way the truth came out, mentally patting herself on the back for a job well done. 

“Kara?”

“Alex, still a little busy.” 

“Kara.” 

Alex watches Kara knock the largest alien out just in time for J’onn and the team to take down the other two. 

She hears her sister take a breath as she hovers above the street, people coming out to cheer and shout their gratitude. 

“What Alex?”

“It could be worse.” 

“Really doubting that.” Alex sees the blush still covering her cheeks that has nothing to do with the exertion of fighting the other alien. 

“You could have never been my sister.” 

She watches Kara smile toward the camera feed the DEO had hacked into and feels the warmth of the truth behind her words wash over her. 

“You’re right. That would have been worse.” 

“Love you kid, now go clean up. You look like hell.” 

Kara sticks her tongue out, making the redhead chuckle. She takes off on a trajectory that looks suspiciously like it’s leading to a certain balcony entrance of a downtown office. 

Alex clicks off her com and turns off the command center monitor. She checks her civilian phone and sees a text from Maggie asking when she’s getting off work. She may have a couple hours of paperwork ahead of her but as she makes plans with her girlfriend she smiles again. It hits her all over again just what it feels like to be living the better after a lifetime of coming up with “worses.” 

She decides to skip the paperwork and starts toward the exit. What’s the point in being a high ranking agent if she doesn’t take advantage of the perks every so often? As she swings her leg over her outrageously tricked out motorcycle she sends a heart to Maggie and sets off to their apartment. It would be rude to keep a beautiful lady waiting after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everyone who has continued to read my cracky little one shots. I hope you enjoy them half as much as I do.  
> Thanks, as always, to SpicyCheese who sends me prompts and happy reactions to whatever I happen to word vomit onto paper!  
> Feel free to leave comments or come over to my tumblr and talk about anything. (Nataliawhite92)


End file.
